Like millions of other Americans, I often have trouble with insomnia — either I can't fall asleep, or I awake prematurely and am unable to get back to sleep. The following sleep tips, compiled from various sources, may prove helpful to some of my fellow insomniacs.

Only use your bed for sleeping or having sex, not for reading, doing paperwork, watching TV, snacking, or making phone calls.

If you've been lying in bed but are beginning to fear you're not going to drop off, try some of these techniques: Count sheep or count backwards from 100 (one of my favorites) to stop yourself from thinking about the problems of yesterday or tomorrow; breathe deeply for awhile; or visualize some peaceful place.

If you can't get to sleep after lying in bed for 30 minutes or more, get up for awhile. What to do? Try reading something incredibly boring.

Develop a bedtime routine.

Keep regular bedtime hours.

Before bedtime, avoid tobacco and caffeinated beverages (not just coffee, but other drinks like tea, cola, and Dr. Pepper).

Avoid alcohol right before bedtime — a nightcap might get your mind fuzzy enough to put you to sleep, but such sleep may be interrupted by periods of awakening. By contrast, the stress-lowering effect of a drink with dinner may help to promote sleep later.

Avoid naps (or falling asleep in front of boring TV programs, as I do).

Try to get up at the same time every day rather than sleeping in on weekends.

Exercise every day, but not shortly before bedtime since exercise gets the adrenaline going.

If you use an illuminated clock for a wakeup alarm, place it where you can't keep looking at it to check the time.

Buy a firm mattress and keep your bedroom well ventilated (a cool temperature works best for me).

And you might also try some of these: a warm bath, warm milk, light bedtime snack, massage, or quiet music (which turns itself off automatically).

Use earplugs for extreme quiet.

If you have a painful joint or a headache, take a pain pill before bedtime (but be sure it doesn't contain caffeine).

Avoid stimulating reading or television shows late at night.

If the insomnia stubbornly persists, check with your doctor to make sure some underlying health problem (such as depression, anxiety,

hyperthyroidism, heart failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) isn't keeping you awake. If all is well, you might ask for one of the several types of prescription sleeping pills that can be useful in the short term.

像许许多多其他的美国人一样，我常常受到失眠的困扰——或者是我不能入睡，或者是我醒来过早，而且无法回到睡眠。下面这些睡眠的小窍门，是从各种来源汇编的，可能证明对于我的一些不眠症朋友是有帮助的。

只用你的床睡觉或者做爱，而不是阅读、做文书工作、看电视、吃零食或打电话。

如果已经躺在床上，但是开始担心你不能睡着，尝试这里的一些技巧：数羊或者从 100 向后计数（我最常用的一种方法），以停止自己去想昨天或明天的问题；深呼吸片刻；或者想象一些宁静的地方。

如果你躺在床上 30 分钟或者更多时间还无法入睡。怎么办？尝试读一些令人难以置信的无聊东西。

制定一个例行的就寝时间。

保持有规律的就寝时间。

就寝前，避免抽烟和饮用含有咖啡因的饮料（不只是咖啡，还有其它的饮料例如茶、可乐和麦根）。

避免在就寝时间之前饮酒——睡前饮用可能让你的思想模糊到足以使你入睡，但是这种睡眠可能因为觉醒的时间而中断。相反，晚餐中饮酒的缓解压力作用可能有助于促进后来的睡眠。

避免打盹（或在沉闷的电视节目面前入睡，像我一样）。

除了周末睡懒觉之外，尽力每一天在同一时间起床。

每天运动，但是不能离就寝时间太近，因为运动加快肾上腺素分泌。

如果使用带灯光灯光的钟表用来警醒报警，将它放在你不能看到它去查看时间的地方。

购买坚实的床垫并且保持你的卧室通风良好（凉爽的温度最适合我）。

你也可以尝试这样一些事情：温暖浴，温牛奶，些许睡前小吃，按摩，或者闲适的音乐（自动地自行关闭）。

使用耳塞达到极度安静。

如果你关节疼痛或者头痛，就寝之前服用止疼药丸（但是要肯定它不含咖啡因）。

避免在深夜阅读刺激性的读物或者观看刺激性的电视节目。

如果顽固地持续失眠，请找你的医生以确认某些潜在的健康问题（如抑郁，焦虑，甲状腺功能亢进症，心力衰竭，或者慢性的阻塞性肺病）是不是让你不入睡。如果一切都很好，你可以在几种处方安眠药中要求一种，它可能在短期内有用。